*2.4. Mechanical Attributes*

The mechanical properties of biopolymer films are commonly evaluated through the measurement of TS and EAB. The mechanical resistance of a film is attributed to cohesive forces between chains, which is represented by its tensile strength. On the other hand, the flexibility of a film, or its capacity to elongate before breaking, is evaluated through its elongation at break. The concurrent study of tensile strength and elongation at break is necessary due to the structural characteristics of films, whereby those with high tensile strength typically exhibit low elongation at break [21].

Table 2 represents the values for the mechanical properties, including TS and EAB of pectin–collagen-based composite films loaded with MOEO. The study found that the tensile strength varied between 8.12 and 1.25MPa, with the control film exhibiting the highest value and PC40 exhibiting the lowest value. The values of elongation at the break exhibited significant variation (*p* < 0.05) ranging from 27.36 to 36.29%. The control film (B) demonstrated the lowest value, while the PC40 film showed the highest value. The incorporation of MOEO into the biopolymer network decreased TS caused mostly by intra- and inter-molecular interactions [13]. The observed enhancement in the EAB can be attributed to the incorporation of MOEO, which acted as a plasticizer and facilitated the mobility of polymer chains, thereby imparting flexibility to the films [22]. The results of the present study are consistent with those reported by Al-Harrasi et al. [20], wherein the incorporation of ginger essential oil into chitosan and porphyran-based composite film resulted in a reduction in tensile strength.
